After Charlie Hebdo, Balancing Press Freedom and Respect for Religion
Following attacks on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, U.S. public opinion of the appropriateness of the magazine’s cartoons of Prophet Muhammad show tension between free expression and religious tolerance.
Many in U.S. followed Charlie Hebdo story closely, but past terrorist incidents abroad drew more attention
The attack on the offices of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo claiming 12 lives was the most closely followed news in the U.S. last week, but interest in the story was not as high when compared with four previous terrorist incidents abroad.
Immigration changes draw broad public interest
President Obama’s executive action on immigration, expanding deportation relief to millions of undocumented immigrants, attracted strong public interest last week.
Ebola ranks among highest in news interest since 2010
About half of U.S. adults (49%) followed Ebola news very closely last week, elevating the story to our list of most-followed events since 2010.
Ebola Worries Rise, But Most Are ‘Fairly’ Confident in Government, Hospitals to Deal With Disease
Most people (58%) express little or no concern about becoming exposed to Ebola, though that is down from 67% in early October.
For many Americans, a ‘meh’ midterm
Midterm elections rarely excite the general public, but 2014 is shaping up to be an especially underwhelming cycle for many Americans.
Partisan Differences Over Depth of Recent Secret Service Problems
Following a White House security breach and reports of other Secret Service problems, roughly equal shares of the public think the recent issues are mainly isolated incidents as think they are signs of broader problems with the agency.
Bipartisan Support for U.S. Military Campaign against ISIS
In a rare display of bipartisanship, majorities of both Republicans (64%) and Democrats (60%) approve of President Obama’s plan for a military campaign against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.
Stark Racial Divisions in Reactions to Ferguson Police Shooting
Blacks are about twice as likely as whites to say that the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., raises important issues about race and that police have gone too far in responding to the shooting’s aftermath.
Modest Improvement in Views of Economic News
Amid recent reports on the U.S. unemployment rate and gross domestic product, public views of economic news have improved modestly since February.
